On October 3, the HACC Appeals Chamber upheld the interim measure imposed on developer Vladyslava Molchanova, suspected of misappropriating land belonging to the Stolychniy market — bail in the amount of UAH 100 million. Thus, the court rejected the appeals filed by both the prosecutor and the defense.

The defense argued that the suspicion was unfounded, claiming that the land plot in question is designated for agricultural use and cannot be developed, meaning Molchanova had no motive. The defense also drew attention to the disproportionate amount of bail and the absence of risks. In addition, two sureties were ready to assume responsibility for the defendant’s conduct.

The reasons why Molchanova failed to post bail and the documents characterizing the suspect were examined in a closed session at the defense’s request.

The prosecutor, in turn, stated that the change in the land’s designated purpose had been carried out to avoid preparing a land management project. For this reason, another suspect in the case, former Head of the Regional State Geocadastre Mykola Tereshchenko, personally went to sign the lease agreement — because, according to the prosecution, they needed to act quickly. The prosecution maintains that nine individuals connected to Molchanova obtained the land plots in violation of the Constitution.

The prosecutor also requested that the bail be increased to UAH 300 million, emphasizing the defendant’s considerable wealth and the risks previously identified by the investigating judge.

As reported earlier, the NABU and the SAPO suspect former MP Yurii Ivaniushchenko, developer Vladyslava Molchanova, private company director Yurii Tsvihun, lawyers Kostiantyn Balandin and Anton Arefiev, as well as former head of the regional Geocadastre Mykola Tereshchenko, of orchestrating a large-scale land scheme. According to the investigation, the suspects organized the unlawful appropriation of 18 hectares of state-owned land worth more than UAH 160 million, using forged documents and official powers.